34 Facts About Elise Christie

Elise Christie was coached by Nicky Gooch and she specialised in the 1000m event.

Elise Christie is ten times a European gold medallist, including two overall European titles in 2015 and 2016.

Elise Christie attended St Margaret's Academy in Livingston for her schooling.

Originally a figure skater, Christie transitioned to speed skating around the age of twelve.

At the 2010 European Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Dresden, Germany, Elise Christie won a silver medal in the 1500m and 3000m, and took the overall bronze medal.

At the 2013 European Championships in Malmo, Sweden, Elise Christie won gold in the 1500m and 1000m, and took the overall silver medal behind defending champion Arianna Fontana from Italy.

Elise Christie retained her 1000m title from the previous year at the 2014 European Championships in Dresden.

Elise Christie won a silver medal as part of the British team in the 3000m relay, and narrowly missed out on a medal in the 1500m where she finished fourth.

Elise Christie claimed her first overall European title at the 2015 European Championships in Dordrecht, Netherlands, after winning gold in the 500m and 1500m and finishing second in the 3000m super final.

At the 2016 European Championships in Sochi, Russia, Elise Christie retained her overall European title after winning gold in the 500m, 1000m and 1500m events.

Elise Christie did not participate in the 2017 European Championships because she was concentrating on training for the 2017 World Championships.

At the 2013 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, Elise Christie won a bronze medal in 1000m.

At the 2014 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Elise Christie won a silver medal in 500m and came 4th overall.

At the 2015 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Moscow, Russia, Elise Christie took two silvers in the 500m and 1000m, becoming the first British skater to win two medals at a World Short Track Speed Skating Championships.

At the 2016 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships in Seoul, South Korea, Elise Christie took a total of four medals, winning the bronze in the 1500m before taking a silver in the 1000m and a bronze in the 3000m to take the overall bronze.

Elise Christie finished fourth in the 500m before taking a second gold in the 1000m and a bronze in the 3000m to clinch the overall gold, becoming the first non-Asian skater to win the women's overall world title in 23 years.

In recognition of this achievement, Elise Christie was hailed as the "fastest woman on ice" and a special banner celebrating her success was unveiled at the National Ice Centre.

Elise Christie competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada finishing 11th in the 500m, 19th in the 1000m and 20th in the 1500m.

At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Elise Christie entered the 500m, 1000m and 1500m events with high hopes of winning a medal.

Elise Christie reached the A final of the 500m, but was disqualified when she collided with Italian skater Arianna Fontana, finishing eighth after being ranked below the B finalists.

Elise Christie was harassed on Twitter by South Koreans who accused her of causing Park Seung-Hi to crash.

At the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, Elise Christie set the first Olympic record of the games during the qualification round of the 500m event, with a time of 42.872 seconds.

Elise Christie regained the Olympic record in the quarter-finals with a time of 42.703 seconds, only to lose it again to Choi Min-jeong in the semi-finals.

Elise Christie finished second in her semi-final before crashing out in the 500 metre final as Yara Van Kerkhof's skate clipped her hand when Van Kerkhof was under-taking her; Elise Christie finished fourth while Van Kerkhof took silver.

Elise Christie was taken to hospital with an injury to her right ankle, putting her participation in the 1000m event in doubt.

Elise Christie had stated her intention to return to short track speed skating for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Elise Christie considered taking up long track speed skating and a possibility to complete in both short and long track in 2022.

On 14 December 2021, Elise Christie announced her retirement from short track speed skating after an ankle injury prevented her from qualifying for the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Just over two months after her announcement, during a live TV interview, Elise Christie indicated a potential return to short track speed skating and expressed hopes of competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

Elise Christie stated that she would have to self-fund her next Olympic bid and is expecting to train outside of the United Kingdom, with an intention to focus on the shorter 500 and 1000 metre distances.

Elise Christie was named Nottingham Sportswoman of the Year in 2013 and 2015.

Elise Christie was named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year in 2017, in recognition of her world title success at the 2017 World Championships.

Elise Christie was in a relationship with Hungarian short track speed skater Shaolin Sandor Liu from October 2015, before breaking up at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Elise Christie discussed via a social media post in 2019 highlighting mental health awareness that she had suffered from depression and anxiety for a two-year period, including self-harm.